Saving Bucky
by Steampunk Superhero
Summary: Steve, Natasha, and Sam finally track down the Winter Soldier. Now they take him to Natasha's house in Maine to try to get him back to normal. But that task is easier said than done. (ships: Bucky/Natasha) This is a Slash free fic! (characters may be slightly OOC @ times...) Please read, and reviews wanted!
1. Trackdown

**A/N**: All right! Here's the first chapter of this fic!

Rated teen for suggestive content and mild adult themes. Not suitable for kiddo's under 13.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel's stuff.

* * *

After several weeks of trailing him, Steve finally caught up with the Winter Soldier. He had told Sam to stay behind at the hotel to wait for him to call if he needed help. It was midnight and Steve was crouched behind a bush watching him walk through a park. He must still be on the run, because the past week, when Steve had finally caught on to his trail, he seemed to be traveling at night.

Suddenly, he heard a twig snap from behind him. He turned to see two shadows silhouetted by the neon city lights.

"Hey Steve." The first one said.

"Sam?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"And Natasha." Natasha added.

"How did you-"

"What? You didn't think we'd let you do this on your own did you?" Sam asked.

"Well, if you're going to help keep it down, he's right over there." Steve said directing them to where the Winter Soldier was.

"So what's the plan?" Natasha asked.

"I was going to ask him to come with us." Steve shrugged.

"Yeah, I'll bet he'll like that." Same scoffed.

"Stay here in case I need back up." Steve ordered, then took off.

He crept along a good yard behind the Winter Soldier. He snuck closer and closer, praying that his plan would work. When he got close enough, he decided to set his plan into action.

"Hey, Bucky." He said quietly.

The Winter Soldier turned around, eyes wide.

"You again? What, are you following me or something?" He growled.

"Sort of." Steve said, ready incase of attack. "I want to help you. I'm not here to capture you."

"I've heard that one before." The Winter Soldier smirked, pulling out his gun.

"Don't you think if I was here to capture you or kill you, I would have done so when you didn't know I was there?" Steve said.

"I've seen people with stranger logics." He said loading his gun and switching the safety off.

Then Steve heard a gun shot. The Winter Solder promptly fell over, dropping his gun. Sam and Natasha came over.

"Sorry, I just tranquilized him, don't worry." Natasha explained.

"Uh, thanks." Steve said.

"So now what?" Sam asked.

"We have to take him someplace safe and away from civilization." Steve said.

"I have a place that's … a pretty good hike from any town." Natasha suggested.

"All right then, we'll take him there." Steve agreed.

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**A/N**: Hope you all are liking it so far! Please review!


	2. Home Sweet Home

**A/N**: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel!

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A few days later, they arrived at Natasha's house. It was on the outskirts of a small town in central Maine. It was a good day's hike to the more populated part of the town and the driveway alone was a good 15 minute drive off the main road.

The house was a smallish cabin next to a lake. You could see the tops of some nearby mountains over the tall pine trees. Other than the naturally growing flowers and plants, there was no garden.

"Wow, this is nice." Sam commented as they parked in the driveway.

"Yeah, Sorry about the lack of gardening, I don't generally do that kind of stuff." Natasha said.

"It's fine, besides we're not here because of your botanical skills." Steve said.

"We should get him inside before he wakes up." Natasha said, gesturing to the Winter Soldier who was still out cold (due to the tranquilizers) in the back seat

It took the three of them, but they got him into the house successfully. The inside looked very friendly. Most of the colors were muted pastels and it gave the place a generally warm feel.

They brought the Winter Soldier into the living room and laid him down on the couch. Natasha quickly ran back out to the car to get her suitcases.

"So… now what do we do with him?" Sam asked.

"We'll let him wake up on his own." Steve said.

"Well, in that case, I better go get my things too." Sam said.

"I'll be right there." Steve said.

He stood there staring at the Winter Soldier, Bucky, for a few seconds. He really hoped they could help him, because if they couldn't, he didn't know what they would have to do.

* * *

They all brought their things inside and brought them to Natasha's guest rooms. Lucky enough, she had three.

After they were all unpacked it was eight o'clock, so they decided to have a late dinner. They called in pizza and Sam went and picked it up. They all sat at the table eating quietly.

The kitchen was connected to the living room with no wall, so the could easily keep tabs on the Winter Soldier.

"So what do we call him when he wakes up?" Sam asked.

"Whatever he wants us to call him." Steve stated, sipping his soda.

"I just hope he wants help in the first place." Sam muttered.

"Well, Natasha should be able to help. She was in a position much like his a while back." Steve said.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Yes." Natasha sighed. "When I was young, I lived in Russia. I was trained to use my skill set to the max. I assassinated people, just like he did. He even helped train me."

"Excuse me!?" Sam exclaimed, choking on his soda.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you in the middle of the night. S.H.I.E.L.D helped me, made me good." Natasha explained.

"Hopefully with your similar knowledge, we'll be able to get him back to normal." Steve said.

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**A/N**: Thanks for reading, please review!

Next chapter: _IT'S ALIVE!_ Bucky wakes up, what will happen?!


	3. Pizza Night

**A/N**: Sorry for not posting sooner, I've been super busy. So here's Bucky's first official chapter he's in. (I don't think the other two counted)

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel's stuff.

* * *

Bucky woke up, but didn't open his eyes. He heard voices talking behind him. He was on something soft, a bed perhaps? Last thing he remembered was pointing a gun at that Steve Rogers guy. Then black.

He opened his eyes and was almost startled at what he saw. He was in a cabin-like home with a color scheme of muted pastels. It looked like everything had been in the sun too long and had gotten faded.

He sat up and heard the whispers stop. He was wrong, he was on a couch, not a bed. He turned around and saw the room he was in connected to a kitchen. There were three people at a tablet the center of the small kitchen, and he recognized easy one of them.

"Where have you taken me?" He asked angrily.

"Superhero rehab." Sam joked.

"To a safe place where we are going to try to help you." Steve said.

"Why do you want to help me?" He asked.

"Because we used to be friends, you would have done the same for me." Steve stated.

Bucky sat there for a moment, still wondering why anyone would want to help him of all people. He was a bad person, even he knew that, yet these people didn't seem to care.

"Do you want some pizza?"

Bucky snapped out of his thoughts. It was the red haired girl who had said it. "What?"

"Pizza… you know, Italian food? You haven't eaten in a while." She said.

Again he was astonished that anyone cared that he hadn't eaten and that he might be hungry. He didn't know what to do.

"What do you want us to call you?" Sam asked. "Winter soldier or Bucky?"

"Bucky might sound a bit more normal." He found himself saying. Why was he opening up to these strangers? Maybe it was because they seemed to care about him.

"Do you want some pizza, Bucky?" Steve asked.

"And some soda?" Sam added.

"Sure." He muttered.

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry it's so short, the next one's going to be a bit longer.

Thanks for reading, please review!


	4. Sleepless in Maine

**A/N**: Sorry, but I've been busy the past two weekends, but I'll try to start posting again. Please enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.

* * *

"So why was I out for so long?" Bucky asked.

"We kept tranquilizing you." Natasha stated.

"We wanted to get you up here without an… incident." Steve said.

Bucky nodded and it looked like he was lost in thought. Natasha ate her pizza on edge, ready at any moment to whip out her gun.

"Well, it's getting late. I'm going to go to bed." Sam yawned. He put his plate and glass in the sink then walked off to his room.

"Do you want me to show you to your room?" Steve asked Bucky, putting his dishes in the sink too.

"I have a room?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah, follow me." Steve said.

Bucky reluctantly followed Steve down the hall. Natasha was wondering why Bucky was so placid. The other day, he was ready to kill Steve without a second thought, now he was very calm. Maybe, she thought to herself, it's the tranquilizing drugs. Natasha took care of her dishes then followed them. She felt a little nervous, since her room was right across from his, but she had to trust that he wouldn't try to kill her. She didn't, but that's why she had a hidden weapon n her room.

"Yeah, we'll have to go to town to get you some more clothes too." Steve thought out loud.

"We can do that tomorrow." Natasha suggested.

"All right." Steve said. "I'll be in the room next door if you need anything."

Bucky nodded and Steve and Natasha left the room, closing the door after themselves.

"I don't like this. He is too… compliant." Natasha said.

"We have to try, Natasha." Steve said.

"I know, I'm just worried." She said.

"That's how people stay alive." Steve smirked, walking to his room. "Good night."

"Night." She answered and she walked into her room.

* * *

After all these years, Bucky still hadn't gotten used to sleeping with his metal arm. Depending on which way he laid, it wouldn't do what he wanted it to. Sometimes he would feel it brush up against his skin and would be surprised by the cold touch before realizing it was his own arm. To avoid that, he would lay on his side and have it sticking out away from himself.

Tonight was no different and on top of that, he was in a new, strange place.

He couldn't sleep, so he stayed up thinking. He was wondering why he was letting these people help him. They seemed to be genuinely concerned, but he hadn't survived this long by trusting everything everyone said to him.

He sighed realizing that he wasn't going to be getting much sleep tonight.

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**A/N**: Please review! I love to hear what you guys have to say.

Just so you know, I'm trying to make Bucky more winter soldier-y, but I already have most of the first chapters written, so there's not a lot of wiggle I'll try though.


	5. Natalia

**A/N**: Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.

* * *

Natasha woke up the next morning, which was a good sign in its own right. She had stayed up pretty much all night, half expecting the Winter Soldier- Bucky- to come in and shoot her where she lay.

She got up and opened her shade, and window, letting the sunshine and fresh Maine air in. She breathed the crisp air and instantly felt rejuvenated. She was going to need that today.

Stretching, she walked out of her room and into the kitchen. Apparently, she was the first one up. She turned on the coffee machine to start to warm up the water and opened the windows in the living room area.

After that, she quietly snuck into Steve's room to open his window. Then she went and did the same in Sam's room. Finally at the third door, Bucky's room, she paused. She really didn't want to disturb him. What if he woke up, didn't remember where he was, and tried to kill her? Sure, she could defend herself, but she really wanted to avoid any incidents.

Pulling herself together, she opened the door a crack. He was sleeping what appeared to be peacefully. She opened the door the rest of the way and walked in.

As she opened the shade, she heard him stir behind her.

"Natalia?" She heard him mumble.

"What?" She asked whirling around, a flood of forgotten memories pouring back into her mind.

Now awake, he looked like he hadn't slept at all.

"Sorry, you just looked like…"

"Natalia Romanova?" She asked, cutting him off.

"How do you know?" He asked, now suspicious.

"That was my old name." Natasha said.

He didn't say anything but he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"So then…"

"We knew each other." She quickly interrupted before leaving the room. Her water had probably finished heating up by now.

* * *

When Steve woke up, he realized that someone had opened his window shade to let the light in. He quickly got up and found a shirt to put on. Then he went out into the kitchen.

"Good morning Natasha." He said groggily. She was sitting at the table sipping coffee. She looked disturbed. "You all right?"

"What? Oh, yeah I am." She said.

"Seriously, what's up?" He asked, sitting down.

"I went into… Bucky's room to open the shade… and he called me something- something I though nobody other than Fury and Clint knew." She said.

"What?"

Natalia. My old name, before I was good, was Natalia Romanova." She said.

"Okay, so I guess he knew you." Steve said.

"Yeah, but it brought back some stuff I had long forgotten. He trained me… in the Red Room." She said. He could only describe the look on her face as being concerned.

"You were brainwashed too, right?" Steve asked.

She nodded.

"Well maybe there's some stuff you need to get back as well." He said.

"I know I was a bad person before. I accept it because I can't change it. Now, I do good. But when I find out stuff that I thought I forgot or can't remember… it's unsettling." She explained.

"I can see how it would be." Steve said, getting up to get his breakfast.

"Morning everybody." Sam yawned walking out of his room. "What are we doing today?"

"We need to go to town to get some more clothes for Bucky seeing as he only has what he's wearing." Steve said.

"You guys might also want to get some swim trunks if you didn't bring them. The lake's nice for swimming." Natasha suggested.

"Alright, we'll add that to our list too." Steve said.

Then Bucky quietly walked out of his room and into the kitchen. He walked over to the coffee machine to make some coffee.

"Uh… how do you work this thing?" He asked awkwardly.

"Just press that button on top. It'll heat the water for you. Then when it's ready put one of those little cups in and it'll make the coffee." Natasha explained.

"Thanks." He muttered.

"Another thing we'll have to do is give you a hair cut." Sam laughed.

"No." Bucky stated.

"No offense, but it's looking a little ratty." Sam said.

"I like it the way it is." Bucky growled defensively.

"Well you'll at least have to wash it." Sam said, noticing the tone in his voice and not wanting to push him.

"That's fine, just not cutting it." He scowled, sitting down with his coffee.

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**A/N**: Thank you for reading, please review! I tried to work on making Bucky a little darker this chapter, too, so let me know how I did!

And make sure to check out the poll on my profile and my new fic that I'm co-writing with **Super Hero 101** called The Club. It's a crossover about Loki, Bucky, Captain Hook (from Once Upon a Time) and more characters to come making a club. It's mostly humor and very AU and OOC. You should check it out!


	6. At the Store

**A/N**: Sorry for the long wait. I have been writing _The Club_ with **Super Hero 101**, so I haven't really had time to do this fic. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Oh, and **HelloIamGracie**, to answer your question, yes I will be incorporating Bucky and Natasha's comic romance (I, too, hope that they bring that into the next movie!) :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or their characters.

* * *

After breakfast, Steve and Sam were going to go to the department store. They decided to take Bucky with them and let him try to 'be normal'. Hopefully no one would recognize him.

"We should do something about your arm." Steve said.

"Yeah, I guess that would make blending in hard." Bucky muttered sourly.

"That's alright, you can borrow a sweatshirt." Steve offered.

"It's summer." Bucky stated.

"Well if anyone asks, you're cold." Sam said.

* * *

After a long drive to town, they finally found the department store Natasha told them about. It was a nice place that looked like it had been there a while.

"Alright." Steve said once they got inside. "While Bucky and I go look for clothes, Sam you get other nessisary stuff."

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Food and stuff." Steve said.

"Right, food and stuff, got it. Can you find me some swim trunks while you're over there? I didn't pack mine." Sam said.

"Sure thing." Steve said and they separated to do their shopping.

"So what are we looking for?" Bucky asked curiously.

"T-shirts and shorts for you and some swim trunks for all of us." Steve said.

"Right." Bucky muttered. He still seemed to be angsty-Winter-Soldier Bucky instead of the Bucky Steve used to know.

"Remember that one time," Steve laughed. "When we were at the lake near our homes? We were swinging off a vine into the water and you pushed me off before I was ready to jump?"

"No." Bucky stated flatly. Then he squinted his eyes and appeared to be thinking. Then he opened them again suddenly. "I-I think I do remember." The statement was more in shocked fear than joy.

"That's good. You're starting to remember things again from your old life." Steve said.

Bucky just nodded and was pretty much silent the rest of the time they were shopping. He still gave off that brooding-Winter-Soldier-vibe, though.

When they were all done, they met up with Sam near the checkouts. His cart was stocked with tons of stuff.

"Guess what I found!" Sam said.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Steak! We're going to grill us a steak some time in the near future!" Sam said excitedly.

"Wait, steak… that sounds familiar…" Bucky muttered.

"Awesome meat that comes from cows." Sam explained.

"I guess I'll need to taste it." Bucky shrugged.

"Well, it is one of the best foods in America." Sam continued.

"That's probably why I don't remember it." Bucky said, voice hinting with irritation.

"Let's check out and get back to Natasha before she thinks we've been abducted or something." Steve suggested.

They made their way to one of the check out lanes with a relatively short line. Besides it was the only one that was open, so it was probably one of their quiet days. Once they got up to the checkout counter, the girl ringing them up started scanning their items. Bucky looked fascinated at the device and the modern way of checking out.

Then She glanced up and did a double take.

"You-you're Captain America, right?" She asked, suddenly very excited.

"And Falcon." Sam added.

"Yes, I am." Steve said, answering her question.

"Oh cool! I can't believe I'm ringing up Captain America!" She said with a giggle. Bucky casually turned away to roll his eyes then casually turned back. Steve quickly looked to make sure no one was near them. Confirming that no one was near them to overhear the conversation, he turned back to her.

"Yes, but it would be great if you could keep it to yourself. We're here on a secret mission, and it would be great if nobody found out." Steve said.

"Oh sure. I'd do ANYTHING to help Captain America and his sidekicks." She gushed. Bucky almost started to say he wasn't a sidekick, but Sam elbowed him.

"Thanks Ma'am, we appreciate it." Steve said as the walked out.

"Sure thing!" She waved.

* * *

**A/N**: Hope you enjoyed it. I'm gonna try to post the next chapter tonight also! Thanks for reading, please review!

Thanks to **Whitelion69**, **Super hero 101**, **SpookyMPDG**, **8belles**, **SlipknotGhidorah**, **HelloIamGracie**, **Hessian304**, and all my guest reviewers for your faithful reviewing! I really appreciate you taking your time to review!


	7. Steak Night

**A/N**: Hey, I'm back! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer I don't own Marvel or any of the movie titles Natasha rattles off.

* * *

"What took you guys so long?" Natasha asked when they got back. It was four in the afternoon.

"We had lunch out then took a scenic route home." Sam said.

"Figures." Natasha grumbled.

"What have you been up to?" Steve asked, putting the bass down.

"Dusting. I haven't been here in over a year, so it's pretty bad." She sighed.

"We got steak." Sam declared.

"Okay, we can have the leftover pizza for lunch tomorrow then." Natasha said, taking the steak to marinate it.

"Um… do you have a shower or something?" Bucky asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, in the bathroom at the end of the hall." Natasha said.

He started to walk down the hall then stopped and walked back into the kitchen.

"One question you guys might know how to answer," He said. "What should I do about… this?" He held up his metal arm.

"Oh snap." Sam muttered.

"Will it get rusty because of the water?" Steve asked.

"If it didn't, do you think I'd be out hear asking these questions?" Bucky asked, annoyed.

"I got it!" Sam exclaimed.

He ran over to one of the bags from the store and dug around for something.

"I knew we'd need this."Sam said, taking out a box of plastic wrap.

"You have got to be joking." Natasha stated.

"Well it's the only thing we got." Steve said.

"Good thing I got two boxes." Sam smirked, handing one to Bucky.

"I hope this works." He muttered and walked back down the hall to the bathroom.

Steve and Sam put the remaining things from the store away and sat downing the living room.

"Honestly I thought one of us would be dead by now." Sam admitted.

"I, for one, am pleasantly surprised." Steve said.

"It seems too good to be true to me" Natasha stated.

* * *

A few minutes before dinner, Bucky came out of the shower. Natasha looked up and found her eyes lingering on his topless form. Despite all other things, he definitely had looks going for him. Slightly angry at her girlish behavior, she turned back to making dinner.

"Was someone using the water while I was in there?" Bucky asked sourly.

"Yeah, I'm making dinner." Natasha stated.

"Well, it made the water freeze." He said, annoyed.

Now this was more of what she was originally expecting from him.

"How did the plastic wrap work?" Sam asked.

"Fine." He said in a voice that lacked emotion, and went off to his bedroom to find a top to put on.

"I'll be outside grilling the steak." Natasha said an walked out onto the side porch.

The porch didn't have a roof and the only thing out on it was the grill. When she uses to live here, she had a chair out on the porch and found it relaxing to sit out there and listen to the wildlife. But not at night, because the mosquitos were viciously annoying.

A few minutes later, Natasha finished grilling the steak and went back inside. Steve was getting out the plates and Sam and Bucky were sitting at the table.

"All right guys, it's self serve.: She said, cutting off her bit of meat and taking it to the table.

Everyone else got their steak and drinks and sat down at the table. Nobody spoke as they all ate their food.

"Do you remember steak now?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, actually I do." Bucky muttered

"So what are we going to do after dinner." Sam asked. "We can't just sit around."

"We could watch a movie." Natasha suggested.

"What movies do you have?" Steve asked.

"Not a lot. I have National Treasure, some James Bond films, Batman Forever, the Mummy, the Fifth Element, and stuff like that." She said.

"What do you think?" Steve asked Bucky out of habit.

"I wouldn't know." He grumbled.

"How about National Treasure. I think everybody here would like that." Sam said.

"Alright then, you boys take care of the dishes and I'll get the movie set up." She said. "And make sure the DVD player works in the first place." She muttered as an afterthought.

"So what is National Treasure about?" Bucky asked, learning his forearms on the back of the couch.

"Basically some bad guys try to steal the constitution and the good guys have to steal it to save it from the bad guys, so they're all getting hunted by the cops." Natasha explained.

"Hmm, it does sound mildly interesting." Bucky mused, walking over to help with the dishes.

After all the dishes were done, they all sat down to watch the movie. Natasha made some popcorn and everybody crowded on the one and only couch that was made to fit two people. Sam sat on the far left, then Steve, then Bucky, then Natasha. It was very squished, but it was all right.

"It's show time." Sam said, pressing the 'play' button on the remote.

* * *

**A/N**: Hahaha! What we writers put these poor characters through! I wrote this chapter over the summer and, honestly, I forgot I squished them all on a two seat-er! They must have all been half on each others laps or something! Oh well, it's only like two hours (or however long that movie is).

Thanks for reading, please review!


	8. Keep it Down!

**A/N**: Sorry for the really short chapter. I'll try to post the next one very soon!

And **Hessian304**, to answer your question, No I was not intending to bring SHIELD into this fic, but if I need to for plot then I will.

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

* * *

After the movie was over it was almost 10:30, so everybody decided to go to bed.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Sam asked.

"We could swim at the lake, I saw on the weather it is supposed to be pretty hot." Natasha suggested.

"We can now that we all have bathing suits." Steve commented.

They all walked off to their respective rooms to go to bed. Bucky walked into his room and sat down on his bed, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He was thinking about Natasha. He knew her when they were in Russia, he trained her, but they had also been… in a relationship. More like fly-by-night lovers. He remembered sneaking out at night to see her-

"Natasha do you have a washing machine?" He heard Steve ask.

That's when Bucky noticed that the walls for all the rooms weren't really solid. At the top, there was about a one foot gap, probably for air circulation. But you could also hear everybody clear as day anywhere.

"No Steve! You have to wash it by hand and put it on the clothes line." He heard Natasha yell back.

Bucky shook his head and got into his pants he had designated as sleepwear. He then laid down on his bed and tried to fall asleep. The conversation in the next couple of rooms continued.

"Hey guys, guess what the temperature is going to be tomorrow!" Sam said.

"Can you guys Shut up! Some of us are TRYING to sleep!" Bucky yelled.

There was no more talking for the rest of the night.

Bucky lay awake, unable to sleep and still thinking about Natasha. He wondered if she still loved him, or if she had moved on and met someone else by now. She probably does, he thought sullenly, she's gorgeous enough and incredible smart too.

He knew one thing, he was still hopelessly in love with her. But whether she was still the woman he used to know,it was hard to tell.

* * *

**A/N**: That was really just a chapter to move the story along, sorry again that it was so short. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	9. Morning Swim

**A/N**: Jeez, I'm sorry for the mini hiatus., I've just been so busy! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel.

* * *

The next morning, Natasha had gotten up early before everyone else to go swimming at the lake. She needed to keep in shape somehow when she wasn't superhero-ing or on missions.

She had put on a dark red bikini that covered her modestly, she wasn't about to look like some scantly clad, ditzy pin-up girl. Then she went out into the brisk morning air.

She loved swimming in the morning. It was very relaxing and peaceful. But since the lake was a decent way from the cabin (though you could still see the cabin), she brought one of her handguns in case. She put it and her towel on a pick nick table that was on the shore before running into the water.

She must've been out there a while, because she watched the sun start to peek over the trees. Then she heard the door to the cabin open and close and heard someone walk down to the lake.

She looked up and saw it was Bucky. She waved and swam to the shallow waters near the shore.  
"I wouldn't have come out if I knew you were already here." He said.

She stood up out of the water and with her hands, squeezed the water out of her hair. Bucky's eyes went wide with fear, then he shut them and turned his back to her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I didn't mean to intrude." He said.

"What are you talking about?" She exclaimed.

"Why are you wearing your undergarments, Miss Romanoff?" He asked in a pained voice.

"First of all, call me Natasha. Second, This is a bathing suit called a bikini." She explained.

"Oh, back when I was last in America, even bikinis covered more." He said. "I guess I have to get used to women's clothing now."

"Mmm-hm." She nodded.

He turned back around, but avoided looking at her body. It was almost cute how he was still a gentleman of the 1940s, even after all he had been through. Or maybe it was the old Bucky showing through.

"I'm going to go have breakfast." He mumbled and jogged back off to the cabin.

* * *

Bucky turned on the coffee machine and started getting this breakfast, all the while thinking of what had just transpired. His mind kept wandering off to her in her bathing suit. He mentally kicked himself, she wasn't Natalia Romanova any more, she was Natasha Romanoff.

Absent minded, he put icing on a cinnamon bun. He heard someone enter the kitchen, but kept doing what he was doing.

"Morning Bucky." Steve said.

"Morning." Bucky mumbled.

"Something wrong?" Steve asked.

"Just… Natali- I mean, Natasha." He said, correcting himself.

"Did she do something to you?" Steve asked, now convinced Natasha had punched him or something.

"No… it's just… Steve, do all girls nowadays wear… weird things?" Bucky asked awkwardly.

"What happened?" Steve asked.

"I went down to the lake and she was there and… her-her bathing suit… it looked like she was just wearing her undergarments." Bucky explained.

"Oh, right, bikinis. Yeah, stuff like that took me a while to get used to, too. Women's fashion in general has gotten more… risqué." Steve said.

"At least you kind of know what I'm going through." Bucky said.

"Morning everyone, Natasha still in bed?" Sam asked.

"No, she's at the lake." Steve said.

"No she's not." Natasha smirked, walking in. She had her towel wrapped around her dress-style. "I'm going to dry off."

Bucky looked down at his feet as she walked out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. Sam raised his eyebrows. Steve rolled his eyes at him. Bucky was still looking at his feet.

"How cold was it down at the lake?" Steve called to Natasha.

"Not bad for Maine." She said, coming back out, still in her bathing suit.

"I thought you were going to change." Steve said.

"I said 'dry off'. Besides, it's gonna be hot today, so I plan to be down at the lake all day." She explained.

"You know, you could easily make your new cover a super model." Sam said.

"I don't like that kind of attention." She smiled. "But thanks for the thought."

"I guess I'll have to plastic wrap my arm again." Bucky muttered.

"Only if you go in." Natasha pointed out.

"I have a feeling I will if it's going to be as hot as you say." He shrugged as he started to eat his cinnamon bun. Ever since he had been taken here, he's had feelings stirred up that he hadn't felt in a long time. He hadn't swam at a beach or a lake as long as he could remember, yet Steve told him the story of them at the lake. There was stuff missing from his memories, and if these people were trying to help him get it back, the he guessed he better try to be nice to them in return. Try.

"So you never really answered my question about how cold the water is." Steve said.

"You'll just have to find out." Natasha smirked.

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**A/N**: Hope you enjoyed it! Please review, I'll try to post regularly again (like every weekend). Thanks for reading!


	10. Natasha's Story

**A/N**: Sorry I didn't post sooner, but was having some technical difficulties and I couldn't log on. Please enjoy!

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Once everyone finished breakfast, they got into their bathing suits. Bucky wrapped his arm in plastic wrap, in case he decided to go in.

By that time they had all finished, Natasha had already gone down to the lake again. The three boys walked down together chatting.

"So Bucky, you knew Natasha in your past?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it." Bucky said.

Steve took that as a cue to stop questioning him, he didn't want to push him to aggression.

"Wow, I think you guys take longer to change than I do." Natasha joked.

Sam spotted the handgun on the pick nick table.

"What's that for? Is it not safe to be here?" He asked.

"No, it's just for hungry wildlife or worse." She said casually.

"Worse?" Steve asked.

"Sketchy trespassing hunters and the like." Natasha said waving her hand to brush it off like it was nothing.

"You speaking from experience?" Sam asked, stepping into the lake.

"Yes." She stated

"What happened?" Bucky asked, brow furrowing and also stepping into the water, followed by Steve.

"So a few years back, I was out here swimming close to sunset time. I heard crunching twigs in the brush, so I grabbed my handgun. Soon two, obviously drunk hunters came out of the woods and started coming towards me with great interest. I yelled at them, telling them to get off my property. They didn't yield, so I told them it was private property, they said 'good, then no one will hear you scream' and they made to grab me, I dodged them and fired a couple warning shots, and that scared them off." She explained.

"Wouldn't that be illegal?" Steve asked. "The trespassers, not you."

"There were no witnesses and I don't think the sheriff is gonna take the word of an out-of-state girl over two Maine hunters." Natasha shrugged.

"I would have killed them." Bucky shrugged, diving in.

"Yeah, but then the fault gets put on you not them." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, but they deserved it." Bucky said.

Since Bucky was probably never going to see eye-to-eye with them on this, they decided to drop the subject.

They continued to swim till lunch. When everyone started getting hungry, Natasha revealed that she had brought down a cooler with lunch in it so they didn't have to go back to the house. Everyone got out of the lake and sat down at the pick nick table to eat.

"Surprisingly, this plastic wrap is working pretty well." Bucky admitted.

"That's good." Steve said biting into his sandwich.

"Sheesh, it's awful hot! It must already be 90 out!" Sam stated, taking a swig of some soda.

"That seems very un-Maine like." Steve said.

Natasha snorted. "Last time I was here, the whole week was 90 degrees everyday."

"Shoot!" Sam exclaimed.

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**A/N**: Thanks for reading! Hope you all are well! Please review (I mean, you might as well since it's right down there, just centimeters from your mouse cursor!)


	11. Night of Sweltering

**A/N**: Hey guys, here's the next chapter. We're starting to get to the shippy stuff! Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

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When it was seven o'clock in the evening, they decided to go in before it got too dark or the mesquites got too bad.

Steve opened the side door to the kitchen and was hit by a wave of musty, hot air.

"Oh no…" He sighed. "Natasha, do you have air conditioning?"

"Of course not! I rarely use this place." She said.

"Dang! It must be over 100 degrees in here!" Sam commented as they walked into the kitchen.

"I think we stood a better chance with the mesquites." Bucky muttered.

"I'm gonna open all the windows and make sure the screens are down." Natasha said, starting with the one above the kitchen sink.

"Anyone care for ice cream? I bought some while we were at town." Sam asked.

"I thank your foresight." Steve joked.

They all went into their rooms to get out of their bathing suits and into dry (and cool) clothes. The boys got into shorts and left their tops off. Natasha put on a sports bra and some shorts.

She walked out of her room and halted at the entrance to the kitchen, stopped dead by the sight of three topless, and not to mention very attractive, men spooning out ice cream into dishes.

"Hey Natasha! You want some?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, sounds good." She said, finding her voice after the startle of the odd sight.

After they all got their ice cream, they sat in the living room under the terribly ineffective ceiling fan.

"Gosh, I'm pretty sure my ice cream has already melted." Sam muttered eating a spoonful.

"Mm, I think mine might be reaching its boiling point." Steve smirked in agreement.

"Alright boys, I get the idea; next time the opportunity arises, I get an air conditioner." Natasha rolled her eyes in amusement.

Bucky just sat in silence, eating his ice cream and taking in the conversation.

"You know what I could go for? A cold shower." Steve said.

"Well you can take one, you don't have to ask permission." Natasha said.

"I was just trying to be polite." Steve said, getting up and rinsing his dish out in the sink. He then went into the bathroom.

"I have to go check my phone to see if anyone's messaged me or anything. I'll be right back." Sam said and went into his room.

Up until then, Natasha hadn't thought about where she was sitting, but now, since Steve and Sam were out of the room, she noticed she was sitting next to Bucky. She remained in awkward silence eating her ice cream.

"Do you remember the red room?" Bucky asked.

It was so sudden, Natasha almost jumped. He said it in a quiet, curious voice. Sure she remembered, but she didn't want to. She wanted to 'forgive and forget', or at least forget.

"Yes, why?" She asked back.

"Well, I remember you from there." He said.

"You didn't seem to remember me when we fought on the highway… or when you shot me." She pointed out.

"It was only when you walked into my room the other day that you jogged my memory of you." He said.

"And what memory is that?' She asked, genuinely curious how he remembered her.

"Someone I trained, someone I was able to trust, … someone I loved." He said.

She sat there staring at her ice cream bowl. She didn't really know what to say. Suddenly he wasn't being angry or resentful.

"Do you remember?" He asked quietly. She looked up at him to see his sad, blue eyes searching hers, as if he would find his answer there.

"Yeah, I remember us. I remember staying awake in bed, waiting for you to come, sneak in. I remember how we had to keep it a secret and you would have to run off before dawn." Natasha said.

"Yeah." He said with a laugh.

She smirked, then realizing what just happened; he had actually laughed. Not long or loud, but just at the end of his comment. He must've been getting better if he could laugh.

"Natasha I-"

"Jeez! Is it just me, or is it getting warmer?" Sam asked, walking back in.

"It's just you." Natasha smirked.

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**A/N**: Hope you liked it, please review!


	12. Awkward

**A/N**: Sorry for the hold up, I've been really busy and I still am really busy. But here's the next chapter. I'm not having much inspiration right now, so I an going to be putting this fic on Hiatus probably until July. Don't worry, I'll finish it, I just need the summer feels to inspire me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or the memory Nat has towards the end (that's from a comic).

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The next morning Bucky woke up and went to take a shower. He turned the water on to warm up after wrapping his arm and getting undressed.

About fifteen minutes later, Natasha woke up, but Bucky had finished and turned the shower off, so she didn't know he was up.

Looking to take a shower herself after the humid, sweaty night, she exited her room to go to the bathroom. Just as she was about to grab the doorknob, Bucky opened the door to come out.

Natasha's eyes went (unintentionally) wide as she took in the sight of Bucky only clothed with a towel wrapped around his waist. He lifted his eyebrows as if prompting her to say something.

"I…uh…was gonna take a shower…" She stammered. He had caught her off guard. She hated being caught off guard.

"Can you let me out?" Bucky asked cocking an eyebrow in a way that made Natasha's innards turn to mush.

"Oh, sorry, yeah." She said stepping out of the way.

Bucky walked into his room smirking and shut the door behind had noticed Natasha checking him out and, oddly enough, he didn't mind even though he knew she was a different person now. She was a 'good guy' and he was a 'bad guy'… or was he? He hadn't killed anybody recently. He was attempting to be civil, that had to count for something. He was still smirking as he got dressed.

* * *

Natasha got ready for her shower, all the while mentally kicking herself. She just stood there and gawked like a stupid school girl with a crush.

She was reminded of another time, back in Russia, where she had encountered Barnes in a similar situation. He was in the shower rooms and she was trying to sneak up on him. He grabbed her and she had screamed. "Trying to sneak up on me?" He had said. "You're not that good yet, Natalia." She felt the cold touch of his metallic arm on her back. "Speak in English, I need the practice." She had said… Then in a typical flirtatious James way, he had said "well then… let's practice…"

She shook her head in the steamy bathroom. She was in Maine, not Russia. She was Natasha, not Natalia. And she was most certainly not in love with the Winter Soldier.

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**A/N**: Please review! and I'll see you guys in July after the Hiatus!


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